Bound Souls

On the day I died, my boyfriend Adrian was flirting with the florist. That's why I haunted him for three years even after becoming a ghost when I materialized again and frightened yet another new girl he brought home. What the hell he wasn't the least bit surprised. a gorgeous ghost. Are you sure you won't stay? She's actually quite understanding. He turned to find me bristling behind him. How many have been scared away? The third. Rosie, do you want me to abstain from sex? Nothing like when we were together He was a prodigal back then, cycling through girlfriends at an impressive pace I'd been completely undone by that quality of his, the lazy magnetic pull of him Like a black Baccara rose at full bloom, exhaling a heavy intoxicating scent At my most lovestruck, he had looked at me seriously and said. "I will never get married I'll never give my heart to just one person I live for the moment. And. yet, he and I had spent two years breaking up and getting back together, tangled in something neither of us could name. On an ordinary day, I was attacked unexpectedly. The dull thud of a club—that was the last sound I ever heard. The last message I'd received wasn't from Adrian. It was a photo a friend had sentAdrian holding flowers and the flower shop owner laughing up at him. What a perfect pair! In the last flicker of my consciousness, I was still thinking, "If Adrian finds out I'm dead, would he still be in the mood to date the florist? "

I was an orphan. In the end, the only person the police could find to claim my body was Adrian. He identified my body at the morgue. The truth was, I hadn't died prettily. My head had been split open, and my body was covered in bruises. He couldn't see me then, but I watched his hands tremble slightly as he held the white claw. Anyone else would have wailed at the sight of me, but he didn't. He simply stood beside me and looked at me. After a long silence, he ran his index finger lightly down the bridge of my nose. "I wonder if you died as you would have wanted. " The empty room offered him no answer. He calmly relayed the details of my life to the police. She liked pink, she was a journalist. She had a small mob on the webbing of her right hand. Everyone had assumed we wouldn't last, and yet he became the person who knew me best. There was one other thing I couldn't help but noteAdrian, you're so calm that the police are going to think you had something to do with my murder. By the end, Adrian had shifted from leaning back in his chair to leaning slightly forward, fingers laced together. I'd like to see the security footage from that night. Adrian watched it, then left. I watched him quit his job, though not for my sake; he wanted to start a company. The early days of a startup are never easy, so I completely understood why he didn't attend my funeral. The funeral home staff called him periodically to confirm expenses each time, he said the same thing. "Go with the most expensive option. "He probably didn't know the way he spends money on me is the most charming.

You're really not going? Three years, Adrian. Don't you even want to know if my face has changed at all? No, he said. You'll always be 25. The words gave us both pause. I had died three years ago; my birthday was the day after. I would never turn 26. Adrian instinctively reached out to grab me, but his hand passed straight through. Fine. I'll go. My expression immediately lit up. I'll bring fried chicken. And beer... Okay. A social news alert pushed Adrian's phone three years on from a violent assault case. One participant released after serving sentence, the young woman was found dead in the street. I knew that. face. I'm heading off where? Don't go thinking a dead girl has all the time in the world.

Adrian picked up the white roses from the table, carefully arranging them in a vase and spritzing them with water. After I died, he started bringing flowers home regularly—not because of me, of course—mainly because the flower shop owner was simply too beautiful. Buying flowers gave him an excuse to flirt with her. Adrian patted the roses. "You're heavy with yin energy. Stay close to the vase; the lower temperature will keep the flowers from wilting. " I fumed, and the temperature in the room plummeted. Adrian was delighted. When he was happy, he radiated this insufferable air of pure satisfaction. Want to pick out a new dress? I'll add it to the closet. Adrian was always ridiculously generous; he would buy me whatever I wanted, bring it home, and hang it up as if I were just going out and would eventually come back to wear those clothes again. A neighbor once saw Adrian unload several bags of clothes from his car. "Who are those even for? " "My exgirlfriend. "His girlfriend was beaten to death a couple of years ago. People say he's gone a bit mad. You'll see him sometimes talking to air. Oh, that's tragic. Adrian didn't hear a word of it or pretended not to. The next day, when Adrian woke up, I was trying on the dress. He lay there, eyes red, voice rough. "Rosie. "When he saw me, he lay back down, closed his eyes and draped an arm over his face. I pulled on the little Chanelstyle dress and spun in front of him twice. "Does it look good? " His voice was teasing, edged with a smile. "Better without it. " "What did you just say? " I flushed with indignation. He laughed softly, just watching me, saying nothing more. "My birthday's the day after tomorrow. "I know, come visit my grave, won't you? He didn't answer.

Adrian didn't know. Staying by his side cost me enormous energy. After spending time with him, I always had to return to my grave to rest. My ashes were still there in the moonlight. My ghost friend and I shared the offerings left at the grave. Her name was Elena. She had died of cancer. My neighbor in the cemetery. Rosie, you still haven't moved on? Not yet. Why not? You haven't either. I'm staying to watch that scumbad tangle with his socalled true love. It's better than any drama. After Elena died, the man had apparently had a revelation, realized she was the one he'd loved all along, and completely lost his mind. Elena had been lingering specifically to watch the spectacle unfold. And you? What's keeping you? Don't tell me you're waiting to see what happens to the people who killed you. They had power and connections. When things went wrong, someone else took the fall. Not a single day behind bars. The wicked always seemed to live longest. How unfair the world is. I don't care how they die. I just can't stop worrying about one person. You don't mean that ex of yours, do you? Didn't you say he's still out clubbing, still working like normal? You might not be as important to him as you think, babe. Elena wasn't being cruel; it was simply the truth of our situation. We begin to fade. My own memory had been slipping lately. To drift into the living world for someone unworthy, the cost was too great. But Adrian was worthy.

To make sure Adrian wouldn't go back on his word, I hurried back to his apartment. He didn't go to work today. Adrian was 31 this year. How is he not aging at all? Still so devastatingly handsome. He was sitting on the sofa on the phone. "Hey, handsome, home alone? " "For now, but my wife's coming back soon, so we'd better make this quick. " "Then we'd better hurry. You don't want her to find out, do you? " "Rosie, stop teasing me. ". You'll come to see me tomorrow. right? Maybe. What do you mean, maybe? It's definitely... His throat moved as he swallowed, and then unhurried... Fine, definitely. Adrian. Do you love me? No. I fell silent. His voice dropped low and quiet. Rosie. His eyes were still closed, but his lashes had gone a little damp. His lips trembled at the corners. You can ask me again.